Method for fastening a connection terminal in an insulating block



Jan. 13, 1959 s. s. s. HASSELBOHM 2,369,106

METHOD FOR FASTENING A CONNECTION TERMINAL IN AN INSULATING BLOCK Filed May 12. 1955 J Fig. 2

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f/vwswroR United States Patent METHOD FOR FASTENING CONNECTION TERMINAL IN AN INSULATING BLOCK Application May 12, 1955, Serial No. 507,956

4 Claims. (Cl. 339-198) The present invention refers to a method for fastening on an insulating block of molding material a connection terminal or the like provided with two contact means for connecting the two conductors with each other. The methods used up to now, which consist in fastening the connection terminals or the like to an insulating block by means of glue or cement or by rivetting or screwing are time-wasting and expensive if they are to give a satisfactory result. Since there is a particularly large number of such terminals in for example a telephone network, it is of the highest importance that they be reliable and at the same time cheap. The fastening method according to the invention is to be applied to such terminals as consist of two contact means with a connecting strip between them and are provided with fastening means for fastening the terminals in corresponding holes in the insulating block, each of said fastening means being provided with a flange or sleeve.

The insulating block is made of a material which is not too hard, suitably a thermoplastic material. A hardening moulding material with relatively soft filling may also be used.

The characteristic feature of the method according to the invention is that after the fastening means have been pushed down into their holes the connecting terminal is pressed against the block, so that the ends of said terminal are pressed down at both sides of one or more protuberances or ridges provided between the holes on the upper part of the block, the flanges or jolts thereby being pressed down towards the inner surface of the hole and clutching into the block material.

The invention will be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawing. Figs. 1 and 2 show a cross-section of a block after and before, respectively, the connecting terminals have been placed therein, and Fig. 3 shows a top view of the terminal in its place in the block.

The ready connecting terminal 4 located in the insulating block 1 is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The terminal is provided with two contact means, each of which consists of a rigid contact surface with a groove 9 for the wire, which is to be fastened, and of a screw 5, the head of which works against said contact surface. The contact means are provided with cylindrical fastening means 7, which fit down in holes 3 in the block and in which the screws 5 are threaded. The connecting strip 6 of the terminal rests against a protuberance or ridge 2 on the block, which ridge is 0.2 mm higher than the surrounding part of the block, against which the terminal rests. Tests have proved that the height of the ridge should lie between 0.1 and 0.3 mm. for the size-relations which appear from the drawing, where the central distance between the fastening means is 7.5 mm. and the height of said means 2.5 mm. The edges of the ridge facing the hole are rounded. The fastening means 7 are provided with flanges or jolts 8, which clutch into the inner surfaces of the holes.

Before the fastening means 7 of the connecting terminal is pushed into the holes 3 the terminal is suitably bent somewhat downwards in its middle, where the part 6 rests against the ridge 2, as shown in Fig. 2.

The fastening means are thereby bentaside so that, without the pushing in being made more difiicult, the holes 3, which have a diameter somewhat greater than that of the fastening means, can be parted a little further aside from each other than would bepossible without said bending of the strip. Without the requirements having to be too high with regard to the tolerances the jolts 8 can thereby be made to clutch powerfully and securely into the material when the terminals according to the invention are pressed against the block so that the contact means are bent downwards and the fastening means bent inwards against the walls of the holes 3. A good fastening of the connecting terminals in the block is thereby obtained.

I claim:

1. A terminal block comprising, in combination, an insulated block housing including a base portion having an upper surface. defining at least a pair of terminal receiving openings, a ridge between said pair of openings, said ridge extending above the level of said upper surface of said base; a connecting terminal comprising a conductor strip having a plurality of perpendicularly extending terminal clamping sleeves supported in said housing above said ridge with said sleeves disposed within said openings, each of said pair of sleeves having opposed securement means engaged with said base portion between said openings as opposite sides of said ridge.

2. A connector for electrical terminal blocks comprising, in combination, a conductor connecting strip having upwardly diverging sides, a clamping sleeve secured to and extending downwardly from each of the diverging sides of said strip, and an abutment carried on one of said sleeves in opposed facing engagement with an abutment carried on the other of said sleeves, whereby said opposed abutments are adapted to be moved toward each other into securing engagement with a rigid member in response to the bending of said sides around the rigid member from said upwardly diverging relationship to a downwardly diverging relationship.

3. In an insulated terminal block housing having sides and end walls, a base portion having an upper surface defining at least a pair of terminal receiving openings, and a ridge disposed between said pair of openings, said ridge extending above the level of said upper surface of said base and below the top of said housing, a conductor connector adapted to be supported within said housing comprising, in combination, a connecting strip having a pairvof upwardly diverging sides, a clamping sleeve secured to and extending downwardly from each of the diverging sides of said strip, and fastening means carried on each of said sleeves in opposed facing engagement with the other, said sleeves being adapted to be received within the openings of the terminal block, and said sides of said strip being centrally arranged above the ridge of the terminal block, whereby the bending of said sides of said strip from said upwardly diverging relationship to a downwardly diverging relationship is operative to effect the securing engagement of said fastening means with the ridge of the terminal block.

4. The method of fastening in a block of plastic an insulating material having a central protuberance, a con necting terminal strip including two clamping screw sleeves arranged on an interconnecting strip, each of said sleeves having pointed flanges on facing surfaces, which method comprises placing said strip in supported position upon said protuberance with each sleeve extending downwardly-along a different side of said protuberance, the thickness of said protuberance being substantially the same as the distance between the adjacent flanges of the two sleeves, and pressing said strip against the block and bending' the' strip over said'protubera'nce using the same as fulcrum, thereby causing the pointed flanges to bite into. the surfaces of said protuberance adjacent to said flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Wilhelmswerk Jan. 29, 1942 

